Paolo E. Coletta Papers, 1953-1999 (bulk 1997-1999): Finding Aid

Biography of Paolo E. Coletta

Paolo Enrico Coletta was born on February 3, 1916 in Plainfield, New Jersey to Alberto Sisto and Maria Comenica Coletta. After receiving his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the University of Columbia, he embarked upon a career in teaching, holding posts at the University of Missouri and Stephens Junior College. In 1943, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve. Attached to U.S.S. Lowry (Destroyer: DD-770), he saw action aboard that vessel during the invasion of Luzon and during air strikes against Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Following his discharge from active duty in 1946, Coletta resumed teaching, accepting positions at South Dakota State University and University of Louisville before joining the faculty of the United States Naval Academy in 1946 as a member of the Department of English, History and Government, and later the History Department. While at the Academy, Coletta also taught courses for the University of Maryland, George Washington University, Loyola College of Maryland, and Anne Arundel Community College, as well as teaching graduate courses to Navy Reservists beginning in 1951. As a scholar and author, Coletta completed numerous works, including biographies of Bradley Fiske, Marc Mitscher, William Moffett, William Howard Taft, and William Jennings Bryan, as well as bibliographies of American naval history and Marine Corps history.

Coletta retired from the Naval Academy in 1983, after having previously retired from the Naval Reserves in 1973 with the rank of captain. Paolo Enrico Coletta died on May 22, 2007 in Annapolis, Maryland.

Description of Contents

The Paolo E. Coletta Papers, comprising 1.25 linear feet of documentation, span from 1953 to 1999, with a bulk of the documentation starting in 1997. The papers consist predominantly of typescripts of Coletta's biographies of Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, Rear Admiral William A Moffett, and Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey, as well as supplements to his bibliography on American naval history.

The collection is composed of typescripts and photographs.

The Coletta Papers are arranged alphabetically by title into a single series with no subdivisions. Nearly one half of the collection consists of three subsequent drafts of a supplement to American Naval History: A Guide. The remainder of the collection consists of single drafts of Admiral Marc A. Mitscher and U.S. Naval Aviation: Bald Eagle (originally entitled "Bald Eagle": Admiral Marc A. Mitscher and U.S. Naval Aviation), Admiral William A. Moffett and U.S. Naval Aviation (originally entitled "For the Good of the Ship": Admiral William A. Moffett and U.S. Naval Aviation), and "Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey, USN," which appears as a chapter in We Shall Return!: MacArthur's Commanders and the Defeat of Japan, 1942-1945, edited by William M. Leary. Filed at the end of the collection are photographs of Secretary of the Navy Robert B. Anderson, Colonel Gregory Boyington, Captain Joy Bright Hancock, and Vice Admiral William Raborn, which were likely used in Coletta's other publications.

Arrangement

The Paolo E. Coletta Papers are arranged alphabetically by title; thereunder by chapter, where applicable.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The Paolo E. Coletta Papers are the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Gift of Paolo E. Coletta in July 1997, August 1997, and 2000. Accession Nos. 97-52, 97-53, and 00-18.

Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Photographs of Paolo E. Coletta are available in RG 405.10: Still Pictures/Faculty and Staff.

Materials Cataloged Separately

Multiple photographs, particularly of Admiral Marc A. Mitscher and Rear Admiral William A Moffett, were separated at the time of accessioning and cataloged in the Special Collections Picture File and Transitional Picture File.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Paolo E. Coletta Papers, MS 465

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Selected Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note:

"Paolo Coletta." The Capital (May 29, 2007): A-13.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in August 2018. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in August 2018.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Admirals -- United States -- Biography
• Barbey, Daniel E. (Daniel Edward), 1889-1969
• Coletta, Paolo Enrico, 1916-
• Mitscher, Marc Andrew, 1887-1947
• Moffett, William A. (William Adger), 1869-1933
• United States -- History, Naval -- Bibliography
• United States. Navy -- History -- Bibliography

Genre Terms

• Faculty papers
• Manuscripts
• Photographs